Joshua Forrest Russell

ink

I was recently given this beautiful vintage scrap book as a gift. Every page inside was empty except for the last. It had a ripped image, a diagram of a playground with kids playing on a structure. I found it haunting, nearly sad so I decided to add to the page, an attempt to try and fill in what was missing. This page had so much character and it inspired me to keep the concept going throughout the rest of the book. So now I’m making a complete work out of it. I’ll fill in each page by taking old images and cutouts I find and finishing/editing what’s missing. I will post more and more as time passes.

I had to pack light on my journey home for the holidays. I find it easier to get things done when there isn’t much choice around to distract my focus. I brought with me a single moleskin which I had been doodling in throughout the semester and have decided to rework the pen doodles I’ve scribbled down throughout the pages. This way I have a plan to stick to, no matter the quality of the work. In the end I want to find a way to make something out of each one, even if the page was used up by just a word.

Not every thought or word we think of will make it to the top of our minds and seep into the world around us. There’s so many obstacles within us that create stops along the way that give us time to second guess ourselves. Once we do, we swallow our imagination making it difficult to recollect the ideas we’ve since lost. If only there was a way to make this journey easier and more direct. A way to express without an off ramp.

If only we could predict when we’re all going to crash and burn. That way we could stain the world with the footprint we choose to leave behind.

I decided to revise this old drawing and give it a bit more detail. I made this after seeing a mosquito that had been freshly smeared across a white wall. A complete track detailing it’s time of death. The exact spot it was hit and then the spot that it was left to die. We all despise being bitten, me included, but I guess seeing this made me see it differently. I felt bad, I saw it as a life ended as opposed to a pest I wanted to get rid of. Was the blood on the wall mine? Was it the blood of multiple people? Where did the mosquito come from and how long was it alive? I had questions about when it was alive, because I knew how it died.

Another fun one I had done before my first class of the year. Inspired from another user on SKTCHY. It’s great practice finding that specific detail of someones photograph which you can then focus on or accentuate, in this case I loved this persons rounded glasses and chose to start the sketch from there.

Here’s a drawing I did a couple months ago while trying out different materials and digital apps. I’m slowly learning to mix my materials more often. With this drawing I thought it’d be fun playing with irony and the idea of fast food and it’s detrimental effects on the body. What if it benefited us in the same way that it’s described, lending us a boost of speed for example. I Would love to keep playing with this style/idea and expand it into a series or comic one day.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve uploaded anything so I thought I’d post a quick piece from my sketchbook this week. Summers coming to an end and I have a lot of work to edit/upload and share in the coming weeks. I made this for an app I recently discovered called SKTCHY which I highly recommend to anyone searching for fresh references to use while sketching. The app lets users upload ‘inspiration’ photos (typically portraits/selfies) which other people can then use for reference. Once finished you’re able to upload your finished product and share it with the community but more importantly with the person who you were initially inspired by. The work is then displayed next to the original photo for comparison. It’s a fun way to get some practice in, but also a great way to get a nice sketch, painting or caricature of yourself done by other talented strangers. Seeing as though most people I draw never get to see or even know I’ve drawn them it’s satisfying when somebody most likely gets to look into the faintly familiar depiction of themselves I’ve reflected back to them.

-If anybody wants to get the app or has it already and wants to connect just look for: